PANDORA · Doctoral network on discovering pathomechanisms and novel drug optimization for AMD

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Project objective

PANDORA will create a multidisciplinary, intersectoral European Doctoral Network focusing on complement system-mediated pathomechanisms and therapy development for Age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD, major cause of blindness in the elderly population, affects daily activities of ca. 200 million people worldwide, placing a major burden on national health systems and impairing patients’ quality of life. The complement system, known for its role in innate immune surveillance, is a major pathogenic driver in AMD, also involved in various other diseases, including sepsis, neurodegenerative, kidney, vascular diseases and cancer. We and others have recently demonstrated the importance of locally produced complement factors and non-canonical complement functions in the retina, affecting energy metabolism, protein degradation, mitochondrial stability, autophagy and lysophagy, which are found to be impaired in AMD. PANDORA will exploit state-of-the art model systems and techniques, including ex vivo multicellular, stem-cell derived and murine models, omics, imaging, biochemistry, histology, functional assays and computational modelling, to study in depth the different complement functions relevant to AMD and to find potential biomarkers for stratification and disease monitoring. PANDORA further aims to develop innovative therapeutic approaches, using gene therapy, compound screening, optimizing drug delivery to the retina, and a novel ultra-high resolution multimodality imaging system to monitor disease progression and treatment efficacy in vivo and in patients. PANDORA will train Doctoral Candidates as the next generation of European translational scientists in vision and medical research, and provides every student with the tools for a successful scientific career in academia or industry. Our multidisciplinary network offers a unique opportunity to expand the understanding and therapeutics for AMD in Europe, and to bring research findings to benefit for patients.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• EBERHARD KARLS UNIVERSITAET TUEBINGEN · TuebingenCoordinatorGermany
• BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM PHARMA GMBH &CO KG · IngelheimGermany
• CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS · ParisFrance
• FUNDACION CENTRO DE EXCELENCIA EN INVESTIGACION DE MEDICAMENTOS INNOVADORES EN ANDALUCIA · Armilla GranadaSpain
• IDRYMA TECHNOLOGIAS KAI EREVNAS · IRAKLEIOGreece
• ITA-SUOMEN YLIOPISTO · KUOPIOFinland
• KYMATONIKI IDIOTIKI KEFALAIOUCHIKI ETAIREIA · HeraklionGreece
• MICROFLUIDICS INNOVATION CENTER · PARISFrance
• PANEPISTIMIO KRITIS · RETHIMNOGreece
• Retina International CLG · Dublin 2City levelIreland
• SORBONNE UNIVERSITE · ParisFrance
• THE PROVOST, FELLOWS, FOUNDATION SCHOLARS & THE OTHER MEMBERS OF BOARD, OF THE COLLEGE OF THE HOLY & UNDIVIDED TRINITY OF QUEEN ELIZABETH NEAR DUBLIN · DublinIreland
• UNIVERSIDAD DE GRANADA · GranadaSpain
• UNIVERSITE DE FRIBOURG · FribourgSwitzerland
• UNIVERSITE DE TOULOUSE · ToulouseFrance
• UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE · Newcastle Upon TyneUnited Kingdom

Links

• View on CORDIS
• DOI: 10.3030/101312030